The CMU Department of Business hosts the seventh annual Entrepreneurship Day Wednesday at 8 a.m. in the Academic Classroom Building.

E-Day helps connect the community’s successful business leaders and entrepreneurs with CMU students through mini breakout sessions and other activities. Breakout sessions are free and open to students and community members.

Keynote Speaker and The North Face founder Kenneth “Hap” Klopp will speak at a special luncheon at noon in the University Center Ballroom. Klopp will speak about the company, how he started as an entrepreneur, and how he grew The North Face to what it is today. General admission is $10 (lunch not included), student admission with lunch is $20, and public admission with lunch is $50. Call 248-1902 to purchase tickets.

“E-Day is a great way for business students to learn more about the different areas of entrepreneurship and business in general,” CMU business major Will Owen said. “Its also a great way for students to network and possibly make connections that could help them in the future.”

The fourth annual Idea Challenge is an opportunity for students from all majors to pitch a business idea to a panel of judges for a chance to win prizes. The presentation is modeled after an elevator pitch, which requires students to tell the judges about their business idea in the time it takes to ride an elevator.

“The goal for the Idea Challenge is to excite students about founding ideas that are viable in the marketplace and to provide solutions,” Entrepreneurship advisor and Idea Challenge Director Georgann Jouflas said.

This year’s Idea Challenge contains a qualifying round for over 30 competitors, a final competition on E-Day, and over $3,000 in cash prizes. The winner of the Idea Challenge will represent CMU at the Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization National competition.

“This competition is very important to campus because to fuel our economy, we have to be innovative and this teaches students a good way to come up with new ideas and new ways of thinking,” Jouflas said.

For more information about E-Day or the Idea Challenge, visit www.coloradomesa.edu/eday.